Hero Redux
by Chaoskai
Summary: Link is a Cipher, a decoder for manuscripts when a series of events pit him against Ganondorf, a powerhungry bussiness man for a biological weapon that isn't exactly what it seems...
1. Savior

Link's eyes scanned a lit screen, his fingers flying fast across a keyboard in a rhythm that was all his own. On the computer screen was a document, but not just any document. It was a ancient script, one of many of which he was in the process of analyzing detailing the history of the land of which he lived in, Hyrule. He worked for Dragmire Industries, a company that collected and sold artifacts to museums across the world. Link worked for them as a freelance Cipherer, a rarity in the modern world.

Cipherers used ancient magic to translate texts into a more readable language. The magic was akin to a puzzle and only the best of the best could solve it. The spell was simple. All it took was the addition of jewels, which were readily available in the land of Hyrule. However, it was the combining of the gems that translated the text and that was no easy task. So difficult that being a Cipherer, even a beginner one could land you a job that started off in the high six digits. To make things simpler for the decoders, a program was created, using information off of Ciphering boxes. It was basically the same as Ciphering, but on a computer. (Authors Note: Think Bejeweled 1 or 2)

Link was a first class Cipherer, but that wasn't all. He was also Hyrule's best swordsman, winning tournaments for five years running. The man who ran Dragmire Industries was none other than Gannondorf Dragmire III, a widely respected business man who, to Link, seemed sincere with his job offer one November day. He had heard of Link's skills when it came to Ciphering and he had recently come across documents of important value. Gannondorf was surprised when Link immediately accepted the job and began working the next day as if he had spent years there. Ancient translated manuscripts came pouring in, shooting Dragmire Industries into a time of financial prosperity.

Link leaned back in his chair, cracked his knuckles and sighed. He usually liked to read what the ancient text said. The more difficult the language was to crack, the more interested Link became in its contents. The latest one was very difficult to crack, taking Link all of the day and even into the night, but he still hadn't gotten all of it solved. He turned up the volume of his headphones that he had worn to work that day and sat back.

When the page finally finished loading, Link's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline, his jaw dropped. He didn't fully read the page; only one word appeared clearly to him; his own name. Link couldn't believe it. His name was not a common one, not only in Hyrule, but all over as well. Not only that, it had described him as he read down the page. Everything from his ice blue eyes to his blond hair to even the color of the clothes he was most often wearing. How could something from a few thousand years ago know about him? He shook his head.

Just then his office door opened up and standing there, slightly imposing, was none other than Gannondorf himself. "Ah, Link, just the young man I wanted to see. Did you finish that document yet?" he asked politely. Link didn't answer. His jaw as still hanging down and his eyes were still wide as dinner plates. Gannondorf walked around and looked at his screen and suddenly shut it off. "YOU SHOULDN'T BE LOOKING AT THAT!" he roared. Suddenly he calmed down again and replied. "Sorry…it's just that is top secret company information. Not that I don't trust you, but I am a little paranoid about such things.

Link looked up at his employer. To him, Gannondorf was talking but all he could hear was "Blah, blah, blah." His curiosity piqued, he wanted to know more about this mysterious document. "Sorry." Link quickly apologized. He printed it out and quickly handed it to Gannondorf. "My sincerest apologies."

"That's quite all right. I'm not sure how that got into your workload, but I'm sure it's not your fault. Why don't you go home and get some rest?"

"Yeah. That would be a good idea." Replied Link.

"Ok then, I'll see you tomorrow." Gannondorf answered, walking out of the room.

Link smiled. Idiot. He forgot the original. Thought Link, a evil smile creeping up on his face. Gannondorf had to have been lying about being paranoid. He was always lax about company secrets, at least around him. This had to have been something that Gannondorf didn't want Link to have a hold of. Taking the paper gingerly out of its box, he slipped it into a plastic folder and shoved it into his backpack. He then turned off his computer, walked out of his office and to the elevator.

Link finally walked out of the office building and began to walk home, which wasn't too far from work. No one knew where he lived, and he liked to keep it that way. He trudged along, his eyes shifting back and forth across the buildings, sweeping in the light of the streetlamps. When his eyes stopped upon a dark alleyway, he silently swore. I should' a brought my sword with me instead of this measly pocketknife. Link thought to himself. He pulled the Swiss Army Knife out of his jeans pocket and flipped open the blade. He was a little paranoid himself, especially at night.

It was then he heard a small whimpering and some foul sounding laughter. The laughter was such that it could have only come from one thing. Moblins. Link hated the pig men, even though Gannondorf hired many of them for security. On more than one occasion a Moblin would stop him and harass him. However, a sword to the throat quickly taught them that Link was not a Hylian to be trifled with.

As for the whimpering however, Link didn't like the sound of it. Moblins had been known to harass, tease and even rape Hylian women. It was coming from a nearby alleyway. Link came closer and saw that it was lit, and standing at the end of it were a couple of Moblins whom were standing over a girl about his age, who was cowering in fear. Link suddenly shed all fear, replacing it with rage.

"So," asked one Moblin to the other, "What shall we do with this delicious morsel?" The Moblin laughed.

"Well for one," answered Link, stepping into the alleyway, blade at the ready, "You'll leave her alone."

"Oh yeah?" the other Moblin stepped in front of Link, a cruel smile upon his ugly face. "And you'll stop us?"

"Yeah." Link replied, his voice barely above a whisper, his eyes narrowing down. He shifted his weight to accommodate his weapon, closed surroundings and his bigger opponents.

"Don't do it! They're stronger than you!" cried out the young woman. She tried to get up, but stumbled.

"Yeah!" replied the first Moblin. "I'll tell ya what. If you leave now, we'll forget we ever saw ya!"

"Yeah, you see, I just can't let you harm her. So, scram now, or I'll rip into you so fast you'll be crying like a couple of babies." Link threatened.

"The nerve of this kid! Ok, that's it! We're taking you out!" the second Moblin yelled angrily. He then charged Link, ready to ram him. Link didn't move until the last minute.

The young girl gasped. Link had dodged the tackle with the greatest of ease and responded by burying his pocketknife into the Moblin's back, causing the beast to cry out in pain. It then swung around in a blind fury while the first Moblin snuck up behind Link. Like as if he were dancing, he dropped down, not missing a beat with his knife. The second Moblin slammed its meaty fist into the face of the first, causing it to fly back and hit the wall, slumping down next to the girl, unconscious. She gasped, but suddenly stood up and yelled, "YEAH! KICK THEIR ASSES!"

Link smiled and still in his battle rhythm, he slid underneath the legs of the Moblin, this time placing his blade above him, cutting the Moblin as he slid.

The girl winced as the Moblin suddenly whimpered and dropped to the ground, his hands over his bleeding groin. Link then stood up, and with a smile, waited for the Moblin to fall to the ground, whimpering like the young woman was a few minutes ago.

Link then walked over to the girl. "You all right?"

"Yeah." She breathed, her eyes wide in surprise. "That was…just…wow. I can't even begin to even describe what that looked like!" She was leaning against the wall and as she left it, she cried out in pain and fell to the floor again. "Ouch…when those two attacked me, I ran and sprained my ankle."

Link held out a hand. "Here. Let me help you up." The girl took his hand and he pulled her up. "Heh, if you thought that was good, you'll think I'm legendary with a sword."

She laughed. "By the way, my name is Zelda. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for saving me."

"Eh, don't make a big deal out of it. I'm just doing the right thing. Oh, and my name is Link. Here, put your arm around my shoulder. I'll help you to the police station."

"Ok." She put an arm around his broad shoulders and he helped her limp away from the bodies. As they got near the whimpering Moblin, he spoke up.

"Dude…" he spoke to Link, "That was cruel…"

"Naw." Replied the Hylian. "This is!" Link the stepped on the cut causing the Moblin to cry out and begin blubbering.

Zelda laughed. "Well, no mercy for the wicked, right?"

"Yep." Link answered her.

They walked some more, Link leading her towards the police station when Zelda spoke up again. "You know, I haven't seen you around here. You new to Hyrule?"

"Nope. Lived her all my life. I just keep to myself a lot."

"Why? I mean you seem like a nice enough guy…" Zelda then giggled fiercely. "Plus you're very cute."

Link's face went a slight bit red. "Er…I'm just not the social type. That's all."

"Hmm…pity. You go to school around here?"

"Nah. I completed school at an early age. I work for a company doing Ciphering."

"Wow! My father is looking for a good Cipherer to decode some manuscripts that apparently reveal some secrets about an object called the 'Triforce.'"

"Huh, I've heard of that before. Has he gotten any progress on it?"

"No. It got stolen from us by a couple of Gerudos. Apparently they had been hired by some big shot to steal these documents."

"Damn. That has to suck. I'm currently working on something, but the more I look into it, the more odd it becomes."

"What do you mean?"

"Well…If I told you, you wouldn't believe me." Link sheepishly explained.

"Try me. I've heard of things and seen things that people wouldn't believe in my dads company had not they seen those things themselves."

"Um…well, here we are." Link led her up into the police station and up to the front desk. "Excuse me sir, but this young woman was assaulted by Moblins."

The policeman leapt up in his seat. "Are you Ok miss?"

"Yes." Zelda replied. "This man saved me."

The policeman looked thoughtfully at Link. "What's your name?"

"Link." He said.

This caused the officer to smile. "Figures. What does that make your score now?"

"I dunno. I'm not keeping track. Listen, can we just get the paperwork for our statement so I can be on my way?" Link asked impatiently.

"Sure, sure." The officer handed them each a statement sheet and a pen. Zelda and Link then sat down at some nearby chairs and began to fill out the sheet.

After a while, Zelda replied, "Finished. May I call up my father to tell him what happened?"

"Sure. Just use that phone." Said the officer.

"Hello? Daddy? Hi…Um…I got into some trouble with a couple of Moblins." Zelda explained.

Link winced as he heard a voice all the way across the room from the phone. "WHAAAAAAAT?"

"Daddy, calm down. I'm fine. A young man saved me. They never got the chance to even touch me. We're over at the police station. I'll meet you here." Zelda then hung up the phone.

Link finished his paperwork, turned it in and sat down by the door. "It appears that your father is awfully concerned about you."

"Yeah." Zelda smiled. "He is always worrying about me. Aren't you going to call your parents?"

"He doesn't-" the officer began, but was cut off.

"SHUT IT!" Link snapped. He then sighed and replied, "They know that I'll be fine. I am Hyrule's leading swordsman champion in the tournaments for the past five years."

"Wow." Zelda sat there for a few seconds. "I see you like the color green."

Link laughed. "Yeah. Either that or black or red. Those three I like. Course, it's really this floppy hat that I like. Comfortable, yet stylish." Link joked. Zelda giggled again.

"Well, you look cute in it." Zelda answered.

"I see you're one who speaks their mind."

"What do you mean?"

"Well most girls I know would be nervous to call a guy cute. You just say 'Hey, you're cute!'" Link laughed.

"Well, there's no sense in being nervous about it. I mean its not like some jealous girlfriend of your is going to attack me for saying it!" Zelda replied.

"Well, I am single."

Zelda looked at him, her eyes wide open in utter surprise. Link however wasn't looking at her, but at the door. It was then when the door burst open and an old man with graying hair and a business suit charged in. "Daddy!" Zelda cried out and rushed into his arms.

"Are you all right daughter?" The old man asked his face lined with worry.

"Yes, all thanks to…hey…where'd he go?" Zelda looked behind her father to see that Link was gone. She rushed out the door and into the street where the night was beginning to turn foggy. It was then when she could have sworn that she saw a floppy green hat vanish into the fog…


	2. Brother

"Man, I hate this weather…I swear, it should be illegal to be this hot." Complained a young lithe man wearing all blue, a golden guitar strapped to his back.

"Oh, quit your whining Miaku." Replied a man sitting down on a bench next to him. He was massive, towering over everyone in size, strength and patience.

"Oh easy for you to say Darunia. You're used to it. I lived around Termina Bay most of my life and I'm not used to these sweltering Hylian summers." Complained Miaku, running a hand through his feathery blue hair.

Darunia just shook his head. They were eating lunch outside at the Nayru High and the temperature was 94 degrees. "I really don't think it's that hot…I mean, it could be worse…"

"How so?"

"Well…um…uh…" Darunia pondered thoughtfully.

"While you're thinking of how this hell on earth could be worse, it looks like Red and Blond are coming this way." Miaku commented.

Two girls walked over to the bench and both of them looked like they ran a mile race. The first had flame red hair and emerald eyes. She was pretty skinny but was considered to be extremely good looking by quite a few guys in the school. "This-is-hell…" she breathed, sitting down next to Miaku.

"That's an understatement Malon…" the blond girl replied, sitting down next to her.

"See!" Miaku added quickly. "Zelda and Malon are both boiling! I'm telling you Darunia, you are the only person who isn't bothered by this weather."

"Not so! Brother can handle this kind of heat easily!" Darunia protested.

"Its cause he trains in this kind of extreme…I swear, one of these days he's going to get himself killed from either frostbite or heatstroke." Miaku said, shaking his head. "Oh, speaking of your Brother, how's he doing?"

"Oh same old, same old." Darunia picked at a tray in front of him. "I think the schools are trying to either poison us or brainwash us with this crap."

"Who's this mysterious brother of yours that you guys are always talking about?" Zelda spoke up. "I've known you guys for about two years and I've never found out who your blood brother is Darunia."

Darunia smiled and his chest puffed out proudly. "My blood brother is one of the greatest Hylian alive! Brave, intelligent and powerful!"

"Jeeze," Malon replied, "You make him sound like the freaking Triforce."

"Well who is he?" Zelda asked again, exasperated.

"His name is Link, a Cipherer for Dragmire Industries and five time Champion of the Hylian tournaments!" Darunia answered.

Zelda gasped. "No way!"

"What? What's the matter?" asked Malon.

"Yesterday I got attacked by a couple of Moblins when this hotty comes and saves me! He says his name is Link and he works for Dragmire Industries! Also that he was the five time Champion of the Hylian tournaments!" Zelda spat out, bouncing in her seat.

"Figures." Miaku smirked. "That makes it…how many has he saved so far Darunia?"

"I dunno." Darunia replied. "I'm not keeping track." Just then, Darunia's cellphone rang. He pulled it out and answered it. "Darunia here. Who is calling? What? Whoah, Link, calm down…Ok…Ok. Listen, I'm sure you wont get in trouble…you didn't know…. No, I don't think he'd stoop to that level. Maybe he didn't know as-…you're right. How are you going to explain this then? All right, we'll head out as soon as possible. I'll bring along a little help Ok? What do I mean by help? Well, let me put it this way, you're being a hero just saved your own ass. All right, stay save Brother."

"What's going on?" asked Miaku as Darunia hung up, his face dead serious.

"Link just got a hold of evidence that Dragmire Industries are making him decoding stolen documents. Apparently they have the signature of Harkinain Enterprises and Link is freaking out because he thinks he'll get blamed for stealing them." Darunia explained, locking eyes with Zelda.

She got the hint. "Don't worry, after what Link did, I'm sure he could have stolen the documents himself and Daddy would still forgive him. When we get there I'll verify the manuscript and go through any proper procedures. I'll then call Daddy and have explain the situation."

Darunia smiled and enveloped Zelda in a bone-crushing hug. "Thanks Zel…you're the best!"

Zelda struggled to smile and was relived when Darunia released her. "Don't mention it…I mean, he did save me after all. It's only right that I return the favor."

Malon looked worried. "I hope Link will be all right."

"Oh, don't worry about your 'Linky.' I'm sure he'll be Ok." Miaku assured the redhead who just glared at him.

"Shut up. So I have a pet name for him, does that bother you?" Malon shot venomously. "Come on Malon, it's only obvious that you'd like to get your hands on his butt, both figuratively and literally." Miaku taunted.

"Careful Miaku, don't use all of your vocabulary in one sentence." Malon retorted.

Darunia and Zelda looked at each other and sighed. They then began to walk away and were almost out of the school before their two companions realized that they had been left behind…


End file.
